Food is a human right: the UN calls for work so that we all exercise it

The right to food is recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 as part of the right to an adequate standard of living and was enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966.

But the long history of its recognition in international legislation, which protects it as the right of all human beings to feed with dignity whether producing their own food or acquiring it, has not guaranteed its exercise for all people.

In it World Food Daycelebrated every October 16, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) pointed out that although the world’s farmers produce enough food for the entire population of the planet, hunger persists and plagues 733 million people for reasons including conflict, recurring extreme weather events and poverty.

The people poorest and most vulnerable They are the ones who feed the hunger figures although they are often farmers employed in producing food, a sad paradox that reflects the increasing inequalities between countries and within themselves.

The FAO stressed that nutrition is the third most basic human need after air and water, so everyone should have the right to adequate food.

Available, accessible and nutritious foods

The right to food means not only that food is available but also that it is accessible, That is, each person or family has the means to produce or acquire them.

It also implies that when people are not able to satisfy this right due to wars, disasters or deprivation of libertythe State has the obligation to provide them with food directly.

On the occasion of the day, the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized that eating It doesn’t mean settling for just any food.adding that governments should guarantee that the population’s food is nutritious, safe and affordable.

In this sense, he highlighted that 2.8 billion people cannot afford a healthy dietwhich includes those who are overweight, emphasizing that obesity is skyrocketing worldwide, generating a serious public health problem.

Food should promote a healthy growth and prevent diseases without threatening the environment, without destroying forests and without using more fresh water for their production than the planet can tolerate.

A women’s cooperative in Guinea has planted vitamin-rich Moringa trees, which provide dietary supplements, as well as supporting biodiversity and preventing soil erosion.

Efficient and sustainable agri-food systems

At the World Food Day ceremony at FAO headquarters in Rome, the director general of that agency, Qu Dongyu, called on States to renew their commitment “to build more agri-food systems.” efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable that can feed the world.”

Twenty years ago, the international community agreed on a set of guidelines to ensure that everyone had adequate nutrition.

Distribution of nutritional supplements in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip.

Without peace there is no food security

The guidelines provide guidance to States through the development of strategies, programmes, policies and legislation. But the first condition to comply with these guidelines is peace.

When referring to the multiple conflicts that are being experienced in the world, Qu stated that ““There is no food security without peace”

“Food security is based on the availability, accessibility and affordability of food,” he asserted, adding that it cannot be built peaceful communities “without addressing hunger and malnutrition”.

In the same vein, the Secretary General of the UN said in its message for the occasion that the fact that hunger and malnutrition are part of the daily lives of billions of children, women and men, is a sign that something is not going well in our world.

António Guterres urged to keep in mind the 733 million people who do not have enough food due to conflict, marginalization, climate change, poverty and economic crises.

Among those hungry people, he particularly mentioned those who run the risk of risk of human-caused famine in Gaza and Sudan.

A seven-year-old patient with severe acute malnutrition and dehydration was transferred to a field hospital in southern Gaza in April, amid impending famine in the north.

Famine is a collective failure

Famine is defined as a widespread malnutrition and hunger-related deaths due to lack of access to food.

“We say that there is famine when three conditions occur in a specific geographical area, whether it is a town, a village, a city or even a country,” explained the chief economist of the World Food Program (PMA).

Arif Husain specified that in a situation of famine, the 20% of the population in a particular area faces extreme levels of hunger; 30% of children in the same location are wasted or too thin for their height; and the death rate has doubled compared to the average, exceeding two deaths per 10,000 people per day for adults and four deaths per 10,000 people per day for children.

“Famine is the admission of collective failure.”“, held.

Husain added that to avoid famine it is crucial act long before it arrives so that people do not die of hunger.

Children eat a lunch supported by the World Food Program at a school in the South Omo area of ​​Ethiopia.

Ending hunger is possible

But in the midst of the return of famine in some parts of the world, in addition to hunger and malnutrition, the Secretary General had a note of optimism.

“The good news is that it is possible to achieve zero hunger”, he assured.

The condition is a deep transformation of food systems with the support of companies, the academic world, research institutions and civil society, so that they gain efficiency, inclusivity, resilience and sustainability, as proposed at the 2021 Summit on the topic.

In this sense, Guterres added, governments must work with all their partners to encourage the production and sale of healthy and nutritious foods at affordable prices.

“On World Food Day, let us intensify the fight against hunger and malnutrition. Let’s act to defend the right to food for a better life and future,” said António Guterres.